The present invention is directed to a novel apparatus and technique for mounting a housing to a person or an article of clothing.
There are numerous situations wherein it is desirable to mount a housing (adapted to house on or more items) to a person or an article of clothing. For example, it may be desirable for a person in locomotion on foot (e.g., walking, jogging, or running) to carry one or more items with him/her for various reasons. Items a person may desire to carry may include, for example, personal effects (such as money, identification, public transportation passes, etc.), electronic devices (such as a watch, a pedometer, a heart-rate monitor, etc.), or any other item(s) of a size suitable to be carried by the person.
One known device that employs a housing secured to a person is a wristwatch. With a typical wristwatch, the housing is secured to a person""s wrist using a strap having two separate pieces. One end of each of the strap pieces is connected to the housing, and the other ends of the strap pieces are connected together by a clasp or the like after both strap pieces have been draped around the circumference of the person wrist. Alternatively, both ends of a one-piece elastic band may be connected to the housing so that the elastic band can simply be stretched open and extended over the persons hand onto the person""s wrist.
It is also known to secure a housing to a person""s shoe. For example, a nylon pouch can be secured to a shoelace of a person""s shoe using a strap having hook and loop fasteners disposed thereon. Such a device is commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cfoot pouchxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfoot wallet.xe2x80x9d Yet another technique for securing a housing to a person""s shoe is disclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/164,654, filed on Oct. 1, 1998, wherein a housing (having a motion sensor disposed therein) is releasably mated with a separate mounting unit disposed on the person""s shoe. The entire contents of application Ser. No. 09/164,654 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is directed to a new and useful apparatus and technique for securing a housing (adapted to house one or more items) to a person or an article of clothing.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus to be secured to a person or an article of clothing includes a housing, at least one retaining member, and an elastic member. The housing is adapted to house at least one item. The at least one retaining member is supported by the housing. The elastic member is releasably engageable with the at least one retaining member and is adapted to stretchably encompass at least a portion of the person or article of clothing and to secure the housing to the person or article of clothing when engaged with the at least one retaining member.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for securing a housing to a person or an article of clothing involves providing a housing and an elastic member, the housing having at least one retaining member supported thereby. The elastic member is wrapped about at least a portion of the person or article of clothing and is stretched. At least a first portion of the elastic member is releasably engaged with the at least one retaining member so that tension remains in the elastic member, thereby securing the housing to the person or article of clothing.